The present invention is directed to a soldering system which utilizes hot air for soldering or resoldering purposes.
Heating of a component by hot air heats the component by convection. A conventional soldering instrument heats a component through the soldering tip by conduction. This has the disadvantage that it is possible to damage the circuit board or a component by accidental contact with the hot soldering tip or by accidentally electrically shorting a component by the hot tip. When a jet of hot air is used, there is no contact between the circuit board or a component and hence the danger of damage to either is much reduced. This permits to trouble shoot an active circuit.
In accordance with the present invention, a temperature-controlled soldering instrument must be used to control the temperature of the air. Such an instrument has been disclosed and claimed in the applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 3,883,716. An improvement of the patent just referred to is applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,744. Reference is also made to the applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,973. This patent disclosed the combination of an instrument of the two prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,883,,716 and 4,055,774 with the addition of a desoldering attachment. The desoldering attachment will, by vacuum action, suck up the solder liquified by the soldering instrument. The temperature control and display circuit provision may be of the type described and claimed in the copending patent application of Griffith and Murray, Ser. No. 223,679, filed Jan. 9, 1981, described and designed in the copending application to Murray, Ser. No. 248,187, filed Mar. 30, 1981, both being assigned to Edsyn, Inc., of which the present applicant is the president.
Finally, reference is made to the applicant's prior application, Ser. No. 223,680, filed on Jan. 9, 1981. The disclosure of this application is included herein by way of reference.